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Americans Welcome Rumsfeld’s Resignation
- Many adults in the United States are satisfied with a recent change in their federal cabinet, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. 61 per cent of respondents believe the resignation of defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld is a good thing.
On Nov. 8, Rumsfeld tendered his resignation. U.S. president George W. Bush nominated former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Robert Gates for the post, saying, "He's a man of integrity, candour and sound judgment. He knows that the challenge of protecting our country is larger than any political party, and he has a record of working with leaders of both sides of the aisle to strengthen our national security."
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,889 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 21,900 troops have been wounded in action.
In a questionnaire submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gates expressed his views on the coalition effort, saying, "War planning should be done with the understanding that the post-major combat phase of operations can be crucial. If confirmed, I intend to improve the department's capabilities in this area." 42 per cent of respondents think the appointment of Gates will make no difference to the situation in Iraq.
Polling Data
U.S. president George W. Bush has recently announced that defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be stepping down. Do you think this is a good or bad thing for the United States?
Good thing | 61% |
Bad thing | 9% |
Not sure | 30% |
Robert Gates, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has been nominated by Bush to succeed Donald Rumsfeld. Do you think this will...
Make the situation in Iraq better | 13% |
Make no difference to the situation in Iraq | 42% |
Make the situation in Iraq worse | 5% |
Not sure | 40% |
Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,429 American adults, conducted from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20, 2006. Margin of error is 2 per cent.